The truth is hard to swallow
by T.J. Wise
Summary: Ric is on house arrest so that his alter ego does not drop in for a psycho visit. It's Damon's turn to babysit & all is well until Elena comes in & is careless with his heart.The truth is hard to hear, but Elena is going to get an earful. 1 shot only


**AN: I don't know where this story came from...Ric's rant just popped in my head and I wrote the rest of the story around it. Maybe is because i am fearing that the next TVD episode will have another DElena dream sequence and I am fed up with Elena using Damon as her punch bag...**

**Hope you guys like it.**

* * *

Ric and his alter ego had been on house arrest for days. His friends, Elena and Damon more than the others, took turns to watch over him as he slept, ate and lived in the confined space of his studio.

To be on the safe side Ric demanded to be handcuffed whilst he slept in case his psychotic side decided to wake up and punch, throttle or stab his current guardian. Damon had rolled his eyes and called him a closet drama queen. Next day however, he showed up with a set of fluffy pink handcuffs, making some lewd comment not appropriate for the minors in the room.

Caroline muttered something about he and Damon finally acting their kinky bromance out and that had earned her a week of threatening texts from Damon. At least it was worth seeing Stefan and Elena genuinely smile. The two of them formed the brooding side of a complex love triangle that was grating Ric's nerves raw.

Ric loved Damon like the brother he never had, well, more than that, but at any rate there would be no voiced confession of love from his part. Damon probably knew how much he cared for him and Ric would be dammed if he would give Damon a chance to laugh at his face. That notwithstanding, he cared enough for the guy to be tired of seeing Elena play coy damsel in distress caught in the middle of two brothers. He knew the girl was smarter than that but he also knew girls could be lethal like that. Ric heaved a heavy tired sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Penny for your thoughts?" – Damon quipped looking up from his copy of "The Art of war".

"They are not worth that much Damon…" – Ric answered tiredly – "What time is it?"

"Almost time for you deeelicious herbal tea." – Damon replied with a rakish smile.

"I swear I will never _ever_ drink tea after this." – Ric grumbled –"Don't you have anything better to do than babysit me?"

"Oh, you are worried about my social life, how sweet! I didn't know you cared." – he said sarcastically leaning towards Ric and unlocking the offending pink handcuffs.

Damon made his way to the kitchen to prepare the disgusting herbal mix that was supposed to clear Ric's mind of the unwanted guest.

"Sorry I asked..." – Ric answered as he followed Damon rubbing his sore wrists.

"Don't worry professor. My calendar is full of buzzing activities." – Damon gave Ric a lewd smirk that was returned with a look of dismay worthy of an Oscar –"After jack ass babysitting duty I have a meeting with Sabrina to investigate further spells and herb smells." – Damon wrinkled his nose as the hot water hit the tea leaves –"Followed by the mandatory brother squabble with Saint Stefan, copious amount of drinking to endure Vampire Barbie's account on what the original's are up to and finally, a sweaty work out session with the lovely Elena."

Damon handed Ric his tea and raised his glass.

"Bottoms up."

"Gosh, I wish this was whiskey…" – Ric mumbled wistfully before emptying the mug down his troat.

"You are in one hell of a mood today buddy." – Damon craned his neck sideways to give Ric a better look – "Anything in particular or just the everyday "I have a jerk sharing my brain space"?"

Ric was trying to decide whether throwing a punch at Damon's smug face would make him feel better when he heard a knock on the door. As if he could read his thoughts Damon quipped on his way to open the door.

"Hang on to that rage and we can go at each other's throat once there are no ladies present." – he wriggled his eyebrows making Ric groan in frustration.

When Damon opened the door, Elena unceremoniously walked in brushing him aside.

"What took you so long Damon? These bags are not exactly feather light!" – she angrily remarked.

Damon raised an eyebrow and exchanged a confused look with Ric.

"Well, hello to you too Elena." – he bit back.

"Don't you start on me Damon." – Elena barked as she removed the contents from the bag and placed them in the fridge. Ric shrugged his shoulders as he was just as lost as Damon but somewhat closer to snapping because of what he had been thinking earlier.

Elena finished her crazy unpacking, folded the carrier bags like if they were precious origami, put on a soft expression normally used for the sickly or dying and reached to kiss Ric's cheek.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Fine." – he grumbled.

"Yeah, I can see that." – she snorted.

"Did you remember to bring me yogurt?" – he asked just to change the subject.

"Oh shit, no. I'm such an idiot!" – she screamed –"I was shopping and then Mrs Lockwood cornered me with all these questions and…"

"It's ok Elena."- Ric intervened to stop her ramblings and held her firmly by her shoulders. Damon moved a bit closer in response, his stance protective and ready to pounce.

"It's still me Damon." – Ric told him tersely – "No need to go on a murder rampage over a forgotten yogurt ok?"

"The way you are manhandling her Ric, there might be a perfectly good reason for murder." – Damon's menacing reply cut like a knife.

Ric theatrically removed his hands from Elena's shoulders with a heavy sigh and Damon was just about to ask if she was ok when the girl in question rounded on him.

"You didn't need to talk to Ric like that!" – she seethed – "Can't you see he is sick?"

Damon glared back at Elena, shooting daggers at her for scolding him.

"No, I didn't notice." - he said acidly.

They were nose against nose, ready to bite each other's head off and Ric had enough.

"Stop you two."

Ric walked in between Damon and Elena and pushed them apart. Elena opened her mouth to say something but the look in Ric's face made her shut up immediately.

"You." – he turned to Damon –"Go for a walk, cool down and bring me some yogurt." – when Damon made to reply Ric cut him short – "I mean it Damon, right now."

Damon looked like he wanted to rearrange Ric's bones for a moment. Then faster than Ric or Eelena could see, he disappeared to the side of the bed, grabbed the fluffy handcuffs, placed them around Ric's wrists and slammed the door behind him.

Elena turned to Ric with a smile.

"Thank you for standing up for me." – she said righteously.

"You" – Ric glared at her –"Sit. Now."

"Ric?"- Elena asked taking a step back wondering if the alter ego had taken over.

"It's me Elena. But I am very pissed so if I were you I would sit. NOW."

Elena walked back until her legs hit the sofa and sat down wide eyed and meek.

"Elena, I love you like family, but this has to stop."

Elena opened her mouth to speak but Ric stopped her on her tracks.

"Ah ah ah. I am doing the talking and you are doing the listening. Not a peep from that mouth of yours."

Elena swallowed loudly and nodded.

"Ok," – Ric took a deep breath –"This behaviour around Damon has to stop."

"Damon?" – Elena spat incredulously –"This is about Damon?"

Ric glared at her with such ferocity that Elena mumbled.

"Right…you talk I listen…"

"Right." – he bit back – "You are a smart woman Elena but one of these days life will stop giving you opportunities to make a choice… Damon walks over fire for you and all you can do is put him through the grinder day in and day out. He didn't sign up to be your personal punch bag Elena! At some point you have to be in or out. This game of I hate you/ I love you is becoming really tiresome."

Elena's frown was deepening by the second, her arms were crossed in front of her chest and her pout was etched like stone.

"You can glare at me all you want young lady, but I am trying to save you a lot of regret. I am telling you to either seize the opportunity and decide your future for yourself or something or someone else will. For the longest time you have known the offer that has been on the table, been painfully aware of the truth out in the open for everyone to see. And yet you play with Damon's heart like a spoiled careless child. "

Elena's ears where boiling now. It had been years since someone had given her a talk like this and she was focusing more on the indignation she felt than on the message.

"You are better than this Elena." – Ric's voice softened – "Damon deserves better than this. How long more can you trivialize what it means? Deny what you feel? Keep him tethered to your side in this game of come and go? You allow him close enough to burn and keep him far enough to freeze, how much more do you think he will take before he walks away?"

Ric's change in tone and the mention of Damon walking away from her caught Elena's attention. All the anger evaporating as tears started filling her eyes. Ric didn't stop to acknowledge it, he just plowed on.

"I can tell you something Elena… You have experienced more loss than someone your age should… but your losses have so far been final and sealed with death." – Elena hugged herself at the words – "You don't know what loss means when you are not the only survivor Elena… When someone walks away from you and starts existing away from your embrace and your watchful eyes _it hurts like hell_. Knowing that they have pushed you out of their heart when yours is still filled with love for them is torture. That is the worst kind of loss Elena… And you my dear girl are dangerously close to making it happen to you!"

The tears were now rolling silently down Elena's cheeks but Ric had to get the message through even if it broke her heart because he couldn't stand to be a witness to how she was breaking Damon's heart anymore.

"Your inaction will be your undoing, can't you see that? The decision to do something about it is resting on your shoulders, but there is no guarantee of how long more you will be given the gift of deciding Elena. And when loss comes to you because you didn't do enough, … because you didn't push it to the limit or listen to the warning signs… Trust me…It is not the kind of feeling you want to carry with you. It makes you hollow inside Elena… it makes you broken like I am."

Ric reached his handcuffed hands to take one of Elena's and hold it tight.

"Don't be like me, don't trivialize the chances in front of you… For me the message was painted on the wall, the hounds where howling and the floor was coming undone under my feet. Still I pretended that there would be more chances to make it better, to fix me and Isobel, always taking today for granted, always counting on tomorrow to be there waiting for me. It is the worst kind of sin to think you control it all, to waste opportunities like that. Years later I did the same with Jenna…I handled it as if I had all the time in the world, like if I owned all tomorrows and she owned me to wait for me. You know how that ended.."

Elena shoulders were heaving and her lips trembling but she didn't dare to interrupt Ric's monologue.

"I beg you Elena, pay attention to my mistakes, look carefully at the past few years of our lives. How many people didn't have a tomorrow? Mortal or immortal they all feel from grace. How many times were we at the frontline, injured, battered, hanging to our lives by a tread…What is the point of surviving all this crap if you are afraid to live Elena? I know you are braver than this, I know you can do better than this. Grow an emotional spine and either let Damon of the hook or jump into his arms already, I can't bear to watch you play him anymore…. I simply can't."

Ric let go of Elena's hand to pick up a handkerchief for her to blow her nose.

"Why now?" – Elena's voice came out in sobs.

"Because I don't know how many tomorrows I have Elena. And I can't bear to think that you will cheat yourself and Damon out of being truly happy."

Elena nodded, her lips tight, wiping away the tears on her face. Suddenly she bolted upright.

"I need to find him"- she whispered panicking.

"That shouldn't be hard." – Ric grumbled –"Come on in Damon." - he shouted in the direction of the door.

Damon walked in with a sheepish expression on his face and shuffling his feet.

Elena looked from Damon to Ric.

"How ?"

Ric chuckled.

"As if he was going to let you alone with the psychopath after he had a nervous breakdown."

Damon shrugged at his friend and smiled.

"I guess that means no yogurt for me then… Oh well."- he turned to Damon – "Just chain me to the headboard and go have a much needed talk you two. If you don't solve this mess up, I'll show you two where my alter ego gets his bad ass attitude from."

Damon rolled his eyes at Elena and she smiled shyly back. He made sure that Ric was properly cuffed and that Caroline was on her way. Damon leaned into his friend and whispered.

"I love you too jack ass."

Ric chuckled and shook his head in amusement.

As Damon walked back to Elena, he didn't look her in the eyes, but he made sure to grab her hand firmly on his own, interlacing their fingers as they exited the studio.

One way or another they were going to get things settled. Finally.

* * *

**Oh it felt good to get this out of my chest :) R&R people**


End file.
